Cupid's Arrow
by Hybridlovelies
Summary: Fluff and murder for Valentine's Day. Oliver and Felicity track a serial killer who really likes the color red.


**This is dedicated to all the people who read/commented on my first, ultra sad Olicity one shot. The request was for another story, but something "happier" this time around. Enjoy the fluff and murder. Two of my favorite things :)**

_***unbetaed**_

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"When did we fall into the plot of a cheesy slasher movie?" Felicity asked, blue and white light from her computer screens reflected across her glasses as she leaned close to them. Her nose scrunched up as she read.

On display was a plethora of case files, evidence catalogues, and news stories about the new threat on Starling City's streets. A bona-fide serial killer known as "The Cupid."

When the pattern of The Cupid's kills began to reveal itself, Felicity called Oliver's attention to the killer, thinking that maybe it was time the Cupid met the Arrow. She was sure there was a great pun to be made in there somewhere, but she hadn't thought of it yet.

"Consulting psychologists were able to deduce that all of the couples are in unrequited love," Felicity recited, summing up the facts that she had studied earlier that day. "Cupid likes to make videos of his kills, directing them like their performers in a play. He usually kidnaps the person A, the lover, and then alerts person B, the object of their affection. The object is given a set of instructions on where to meet and then is offered the chance to confess their true feelings and beg for the life of person A. But whatever convincing this guy needs, never pans out. Both victims end up with their hearts cut out and transplanted into one another." She finished telling the last bit with a little shiver. "The police have concluded that he's a former cardiothoracic surgeon from the way he performs the transplants."

"Sounds like a real head case," Diggle commented from behind them. Oliver was at her side, having rolled another chair over when she started pulling up the pictures and files.

Felicity squinted at the screens, moving some of the pages over and around. "What I can't figure out is how he chooses the victims," she said. "The couples have no link to one another that I can find yet, and even if he was internet stalking them, I can't see how he would be able to discern their relationships based on internet interactions," she let out a frustrated huff. "It's like he's using blind dumb luck in choosing victims."

She stared harder at the computer, trying to mentally will some answers out of it. Oliver reached over and gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Well, keep at it. And keep me updated."

"We should probably hurry," Felicity said, already clacking away, her brain coming up with new search parameters to delve into.

"What's the length of time on his kills?" Diggle asked.

"About a week," Felicity answered. "But if I had to guess, I'd say he's about to deiviate from that pattern. His next kill will most likely happen in two days."

Oliver frowned at her. "Why do you say that?"

She looked up at him, and over at Diggle, who shared the same look of confusion that Oliver was wearing. "You guys seriously don't know?" Oliver shook his head and Diggle shrugged. "You two are such men," she said rolling her eyes. "It's Valentine's Day."

Felicity had to laugh at the deer-in-the-headlights look Diggle was sporting. He'd been working at a rather complicated relationship with Lyla ever since Russia.

Her eyes then slid over to Mr. "I-can't-be-with-someone-I-could-really-care-about" and saw no reaction there. Felicity tried not to be bitter, she really did. Oliver was a complicated man and his relationships were complicated, too. Felicity knew it better than most. Yet, in spite of his declaration against being involved with someone there was still that thing with Isabel Rochev. And then Sara, two weeks ago, right there in the lair. She had tried not to picture that in her head and hoped it had gone down far away from her precious computers.

Originally Felicity thought she would wait for him and that maybe he would get over his fears about caring about someone. She figured that if she was patient enough, he would change his mind and want to be with her. But being patient was a silly, selfish, girl notion. Felicity had always been a firm believer that if a man is into her, he'll go for it, everything else be damned. She didn't know what made her think that Oliver would be the exception to that rule.

After she found out about his night with Sara, she finally got what Oliver had really been saying that day he told her he couldn't be with someone like that. What he meant was he couldn't be with her like that. He was letting her down easy.

Felicity knew that she was important to him. They were friends and partners. They trusted each other and confided in each other. But there was a line in the relationship and Oliver had drawn it. She would just have to move on from it. Which shouldn't have been too difficult, considering there had been no embarrassing declaration of feelings or mistaken moves.

"Any plans for Valentine's day, Felicity?" Diggle pulled her from her musings about her situation with Oliver and back into the present.

"Yes, actually," she replied proudly. She was moving on. Being on Team Arrow meant dating opportunities were slim, there were other romantic options in her life. "Barry is coming into Starling and he's taking me to the Queen of Hearts gala."

The Queen of Hearts gala was being thrown by QC as a part of the company's philanthropy project, raising money for another 'Rebuild The Glades' cause.

"That's sounds nice," Diggle smiled.

"I'm excited, I already have this awesome dress picked out. I can afford nice dresses thanks to my Executive Assistant raise." She twisted her chair to face Oliver again and throw him a smile at that last comment, but he was staring at the floor, a deep frown on his face. That was weird.

"Hey Digg, you wanna hit the mat," Oliver asked, standing up from the desk chair. He didn't wait for an answer though, moving around Felicity's desk and making his way toward their training area.

"Uh, sure okay," Diggle replied. He leaned down as he passed by Felicity, muttering to her. "After that look on his face though, I'm not sure that I do."

Felicity laughed, giving Digg a sympathetic smile, and turned her focus back to the computer. While Oliver and Diggle sparred, she continued her search for correlations between The Cupid's victims to see if she couldn't figure out where his arrow might strike next.

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Oliver was sitting at his desk the next day running a search on his computer. He twisted his neck, the movement smarting a little from when Diggle and flipped him on the mat the night before. Oliver had deserved that hit after he pounded into his partner for almost a half hour. After that, Digg told him that if he wanted to have a "temper tantrum over Felicity's love life," he could do it with one of the practice dummies.

Oliver didn't know what that was supposed to mean and Diggle didn't offer any explanation when he headed out for the night.

The mention of Valentine's day the night before hadn't completely surprised Oliver. It had been on his mind briefly over the past month. Laurel had been a big fan of the holiday when they were dating before the island, and was a true traditionalist. She enjoyed a romantic dinners and stuffed bears and flowers.

Meaningless holidays had become even more contrite since his experiences on the island. It was one of the adjustments to living in civilization again. He remembered when he was first on the island, counting the days, knowing when Thea's birthday or Christmas was near. On those days he found himself wondering what his mother and sister and Tommy were doing and if he would ever celebrate with them again.

Even coming back from the island, none of those things really seemed important to him anymore. The only important thing was working through the list. But that had changed, too. He was expected to balance life and his alter ego. He vacillated between thinking it was a good idea to live as normally as he could and deciding that it only got in the way. And that it would only hurt in the end.

In spite of the warring thoughts in his brain, he still found himself perusing a flower delivery website, trying to sort through different arrangements and decide which was best. Roses or something more unique, like Orchids.

"Verdant!"

Oliver's eyes snapped away from his computer and looked up to see Felicity walking into his office. A beautiful, triumphant smile on her face. It was the smile she wore whenever she had some new findings to deliver in whatever mission they were working on.

"What?" Oliver said, ever-so-smoothly clicking his screen off before she could see it.

"I was cross referencing the data from all the victims," Felicity began, "And started using credit card statements to see if there was anywhere that maybe they had all been and boom, Verdant! They've all been to your club."

She was bouncing with joy at cracking the pattern and finding a lead.

"So you think The Cupid has been scoping out couples at Verdant?"

"Maybe. It seems like a good opportunity to observe interactions and pick out those couples who seem a little..unrequited."

Oliver sighed. "Why do they have to pick my club?"

"At least it's convenient," she shrugged, tapping her fingers against the tablet in her arms. "I've already checked out the employees, because they would be obvious suspects since they're there all the time."

"No red flags I take it?"

"Nope, everyone is clean cut."

"I guess we'll be doing this the old fashioned way," Oliver replied, knowing they were in for a stake out.

"Your schedule is free tonight, I can see if Digg can be there to give us an extra set of eyes."

Oliver quirked an eyebrow. "Us?"

"I'll help stake out, too," Felicity replied. "I mean, come on, out of all the field work I've done in the past year, this mission has got to be the least dangerous. We'll be in the club, surrounded by people."

Oliver relented. She was right. Verdant was a large club and they would need all hands on deck in looking out for their killer.

"Okay then, I'll let Thea know we'll be dropping in tonight," Oliver replied.

Felicity nodded and looked down at her tablet once again, content to sit in front of his desk for a few moments working. Oliver leaned back in his chair and watched her, observing the way her soft blonde hair fell over her shoulder as she angled her head down to look at the screen. His stomach tightened as he thought about twisting the curled ends between his fingers, sweeping them back over her shoulder, trailing his fingers down the way he always did. It was as far as he would let himself go. He stole these slight touches and small caresses when he could, unable to help himself, like a kid reaching for the cookie jar his parents hid on the top shelf.

He was always surprised that she never swatted him away or mentioned those brief touches to him. He wondered if there was a day in the near future when he might not be able to even dance the edge of that line anymore.

She noticed him looking at her and her eyes flicked back and forth in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, clearing his throat and leaning forward again so that his elbows rested on the desk. "So, you still talk to Barry?"

"Um, yeah," Felicity said. "We've been emailing back and forth since he woke up from the coma."

Oliver nodded. "So are you two...dating?"

"Not unless you count the few times I ate dinner in his hospital room, while he slept. We've still been trying to work that part out," she looked up at him. "You are late for a meeting, by the way."

"Oh, right," Oliver said, standing and smoothing down his shirt and tie. "So, Verdant tonight?"

"I'll see you there," she replied, nodding and watching him leave the office.

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Felicity sat at the front bar of Verdant, legs crossed, wearing a simple orange a-line dress with little cut outs above her hips. She'd almost opted to wear the same thing she had worn to work, but decided last minute to change. It would be easier to feel like she fit into the club scene if she dressed for it. Costumes always helped with her cover. Not that she wore outlandish things, but wearing garments that didn't quite feel like her own while hunting down bad guys in the field helped bolster her courage.

She'd waved her hair too, and traded her glasses for contacts.

The three of them had divided the bar into sections, Felicity taking the front area, Diggle's eyes on the middle, and Oliver watching the VIP area and everything going on above.

"Another tonic twist?" Roy shouted at her over the music.

"Yeah," Felicity called back, sliding her empty glass of ice toward him.

He pulled it down and set up a fresh one, pouring tonic water from the hose and dropping a lime into the liquid. "Not much of a drinker?"

"What? Oh, no I prefer wine," Felicity replied. "But I'm not really drinking tonight."

"You sure you don't want something stronger? A girl with your looks, dressed up like that tonight...you look like you're on a mission."

Felicity smiled at his choice of words, having no idea how close he was to hitting the mark. "I am, sort of. I'm actually looking for someone."

"Well, trust me, whoever this guy is...you'll definitely grab his attention."

Roy was nice under that tough-guy-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks persona he had. Felicity had only spoken to him a handful of times, but she could see why Thea liked him. Oliver liked him too, even though he sometimes did the grouchy big brother thing when Thea was around. He'd trusted him to do some Arrow work in the past and Felicity often wondered how long it would be until Oliver finally made him an official part of the team.

An idea occurred to her.

"Maybe you can help me out," she said to him. "I'm actually looking for a guy I've seen him when I've been passing through, I think he comes here a lot."

Roy worked almost every night at Verdant, there was a chance he could have spotted odd behavior. "I may have seen him, what does he look like?"

Felicity was lost there. They had no physical description on The Cupid. She flailed a little. "I think he's single. He hangs out by himself a lot. People watching."

Roy shrugged and Felicity sighed, taking a sip of her drink. "Good luck," he said, moving down the bar to help other customers.

She spun in her stool and immediately came face to face with a smirking stranger.

"Hey there, dollface," he smarmed, "what are you drinking?"

"No, thanks," Felicity said, craning her neck around his body in a clear signal that she wasn't interested in talking to him.

The smirker persisted. "Wanna dance?"

"No," she replied.

"Wanna-"

"Nope."

Her pink lips popped firmly with rejection. Felicity decided it was time to move locations. She grabbed her drink and got up when her admirer's hand landed on her arm. "Come on, I've been watching you, you're all alone. I can be good company."

Even though his grip was light and non-threatening, Felicity tensed. This guy had been watching her. His hand fell away from her, as Oliver's dropped his palm down on the man's shoulder.

"Kemper," Oliver greeted evenly, only the slightest amount of tension in his voice. "You never could take no for an answer. I don't believe my friend is interested in your company."

Kemper looked from Oliver's hand up to his face. "Queen," he gazed back at Felicity and then over at Oliver again, a little scoff shaking his shoulders. "You never did like anyone playing with your toys."

"Excuse me?" Felicity bristled at being a labelled a toy.

"Get out of my club," Oliver replied, giving him a firm shove in the direction of the door.

Kemper rolled his shoulders, sending Oliver a glare as he stalked away.

Oliver looked over at Felicity, and touched her elbow to get her attention. "You good?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she told him.

He cocked his head at her, noticing the furrow between her brows. "Why do you look disappointed?"

"I thought that maybe he was our guy," she explained. "He said he had been watching me and noticed I was alone."

Oliver nodded once, and sat down next to her at the bar, in the same place she had been sitting before. "Kemper Greg is a creep, but not the murdering kind of creep. We crossed paths a few times during my party days."

"I gathered that," Felicity replied.

She was focused elsewhere and Oliver took a moment to look her up and down. He'd seen her when she'd come in, but hadn't had the chance to see her up close. On a day to day basis, Oliver had always thought Felicity was pretty. Beautiful, even. She was beautiful in an exceptional way, which most men-himself included at one time-would be too stupid to notice. She had the amazing knack for transforming herself from girl next door to knock out over the course of a day and it always blew him away. Her looked that night was definitely ranging on the side of knock-out, but anyone's standards.

The small, sexy details of the dress she was wearing were something else. Very unlike the girl he had met in the IT cave a year ago. Felicity had blossomed over the past year. Not that she wasn't always beautiful, but her beauty had evolved. Oliver had enjoyed watching it happen, noticing how her outward looks began to reflect her inner confidence.

His eyes lingered on the little slips of skin revealed over her hips. His hand twitched at his side, wondering what it would be like to trace the shape of the triangle with his finger. The urge was just a little bit too strong.

"Barry," she said, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts.  
He looked up at her. "What?"

"Barry's calling me," she said holding up her phone. "I'm gonna take this outside. Two seconds." She held up two fingers and disappeared into the crowd, her phone pressed to one ear and her finger pressed into the other to block out the loud music.

Oliver looked down and saw that she had left her purse on the bar. He sighed and grabbed it so no one would steal it, waiting for Felicity to return.

"Not a dancer?"

Oliver looked over to the seat next to him. There was a dark haired man, about his age, who had been addressing him. "What was that?"

"I said are you not a dancer?" The guy gestured down at Felicity's purse in Oliver's hand. "I always get stuck watch my girl's stuff while she's dancing with her friends."

Oliver looked down at the bag and then back up at the guy, putting away the niggling regret he had been feeling seconds ago and pasting on his charming smile. "Not my girlfriend, just a friend."

"Even worse," the guy laughed.

Oliver winced, but returned the laugh. "Ouch."

"Hey, we've all been there," the guy said. "Here, let me buy you a beer."

Oliver held up his hand. "No need," he said. "I own the place." He gestured over to Roy to bring them another round.

"Holy shit, you're Oliver Queen," the guy's eyes widened. "I mean I know that now. I recognized you, but didn't. You know how you see famous people but you don't really register seeing them in real life."

Oliver smiled. "Can't say that I have."

Roy set two beers in front of them. The guy introduced himself as Pierce Scarlett. "So, what does Oliver Queen do to end up in the friend-zone of a beautiful girl?"

Oliver raised the beer to his lips, taking a single sip, laughing to himself. He thought of Felicity and Isabel and their conversation after returning from Russia. He thought about the way he snapped at her for visiting Central City. He thought of his recent go with Sara, and the way Felicity's eyes had looked like shattered glass when he came clean about that situation. "What hasn't he done," he answered, with a long sigh.

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Felicity hung up the phone, a little disappointed. Barry had called, letting her know that he would have to cancel his Valentine's Day visit to Starling City, because of a new case he had just been assigned to in Central. His boss didn't want him travelling until they had made some headway. He apologized profusely and asked for a raincheck.

A few of Verdant's drunk patrons passed her by, laughing and stumbling on their way home for the night.

She stared at her phone dejectedly and tried to think of how she was feeling. Yes, she had been looking forward to seeing Barry again, but she was more disappointed over the fact that she didn't feel as disappointed as she thought she should.

Although, she was definitely disappointed her new dress would be going to waste. She'd bought it just to be able to show off in it and now nobody would see it. She supposed she could still go to the Queen of Hearts gala alone, but how stupid would she feel going stag to a Valentine's Day gala?

Maybe it would be better to call things with Barry now. She surmised that because of their commitments, it wouldn't be the first time this happened. Sure they had kept in touch over the phone and had some great conversations and emails, but she wasn't even sure if there was a spark there. Perhaps it would just waste both their times if they prolonged exploring a relationship.

Then again maybe she was being too rash in her decisions when it came to her love life.

She made her way past the velvet rope and bouncers and back into the club. Oliver was still where she had left him, only now he was nursing a beer as his eyes scanned the crowd. Roy caught her attention as she walked back inside, calling her over.

"Hey, you know the guy you were looking for?" he asked.

Felicity nodded, having almost completely forgotten her original reason for being at Verdant. "Yeah?"

"There's a guy that I see here all the time always by himself. He was checking you out for a while, and then you got up to leave and he was talking to Oliver. I think he was seeing if the bossman was your boyfriend."

Felicity's heart jumped. "Where'd he go?"

"He left about 30 seconds ago," Roy told her. "I thought maybe you'd have seen him."

Felicity hadn't seen him, but she could think of someone who had. She thanked him and made her way to the back of the club, down the stairs, catching both Oliver's and Diggle's gazes on her way. She sat down at her screens and pulled up the security footage at the front entrance of the club, scrolling back about ten minutes to see who had come and gone in that time.

"What do you have, Felicity?"

The guys made their way down the stairs and over to her just as she saw the guy Roy had told her about show up on screen.

"I think I've found our Cupid," she replied. She enhanced the image, pulling it up so that his face was larger and clearing the pixelation so that they could get a better look. "I asked Roy about anyone who tended to lurk around the club by himself and he mentioned this guy."

Oliver stood next to her, looking down at the screen. "I think you're right. I was talking to this guy for a bit, he was asking questions about you and I after you walked away."

Felicity's head jerked up. "What kind of questions?"

"The leading kind," he said. "Trying to figure out our relationship. He said his name was Pierce Scarlett."

"Yeah, Roy said he was trying to figure out if you were my boyfriend," she added as she typed the name into her searches. "Nothing comes up, I'll try facial recognition to see if I can get a hit." She clicked again and a few minutes later the computer beeped. "Here we are, Pierce Rojas," she scoffed. "Rojas, red, scarlet. I'm sensing a theme."

"What does it tell us?"

She scrolled down, switching the screens and keying in on the information they needed. "Former med student, got his PhD in Cardiothoracic surgery a few years ago from Berkley, spent some time at Metropolis General for his internship year, but was released from the program before he could gain residency, but it doesn't say why. Then he just dropped off the map. No current address in Starling City or anywhere else."

Oliver cleared his throat. "So, we've found our Cupid."

"And our possible target," Diggle added, giving them both a pointed look. Felicity turned away from Oliver then and back to the computer.

"And a primo opportunity," she said. "If he does even a little digging, he'll know that Oliver is going to be at the Gala and can probably guess he won't be there alone."

"Actually I will be," he corrected. "My girl Wednesday has a date."

"Sorry I couldn't be your Sara stand in,' Felicity snapped, wishing immediately that she could take it back.

"Excuse me?"

"I just meant," Felicity said, attempting to back pedal. "That I guess it's unfortunate that Sara isn't able to attend."

She stood up from the computer and walked away from him.

Oliver threw a look back at Diggle, who silently relayed that he wanted no part in the discussion, retreating back up the steps. He knew a fight when he heard it, and this one he wanted to be nowhere near. He half thought he should clear the entire club for the explosion that was about to happen.

"I can't help but notice," Oliver began. "That you've been making cracks about Sara for the past couple of weeks. I thought you liked her."

"I did," Felicity said turning to face him. "I do."

"So, what-"

"Don't, Oliver," she cut him off. She let out a long sigh, making a split second decision that she was sure might cost her. "There's actually been a change of plans for the gala."

"What change?"

"Barry won't be attending." Oliver felt a second of relief before she spoke again. "I'm actually going to head up to Central City tomorrow evening and visit him instead."

"When was this decided?"

About ten seconds ago. "When he called me earlier tonight. He's got some work going on and he can't travel right now. And I really just think that I should give this thing with him a fair chance-"

"You can't leave," Oliver insisted. "Felicity, I need you here. We're in the middle of a mission-"

"You can last without me on this one. This Cupid guy will try to get the drop on you, he'll fail, you'll catch him and leave him for SCPD to find and that will be it. Piece of cake."

Oliver clenched his jaw, nodding to himself in that scary way he had. "So this is what I can expect from you from now on? Just picking up whenever you feel like it to visit your boyfriend instead of keeping your head in the game and doing what needs to be done. That's why I chose you, Felicity. Because you can focus and do the job."

Felicity stepped up towards him. "Is this where we are again? You're going to be mad at me because I'm choosing to have a personal life? Because I'm choosing to try to move on a fall in love and find someone who cares about me?"

"Move on?" Oliver asked.

Her eyes fell shut. "You told me where you stood, Oliver and I accepted that and then you turn around and you sleep with Sara? Or do you not care about her 'like that' so it's okay? It fits within your self imposed rules about relationships and love."

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he growled. "What happened between me and Sara is none of your business."

"And what happens with me and Barry is none of yours," Felicity shot back, stepping around him and heading for the stairs. "You made your choice. You do not get to jerk me around."

Her loud voice bounced off the basement walls. Oliver didn't turn. He didn't try to stop her. Music from the club slipped into the vast room and then cut off sharply; the slam of the door echoed through the lair and rumbled in his chest.

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It had been a long time since the surviving members of the Queen family had been at an event all at once. Thea was there with Roy, wearing a floor length red gown that Oliver thought made her look too grown up. Sometimes he still missed his little Speedy. Moira was all grace and charm. Things between her and Walter were amicable enough, and they were spending some time together. Not that his mother's dating life at all interested him.

The plan that night was a little different than most. With Felicity in Central City, it was just himself and Diggle that night.

Diggle was on the comm in his ear. He'd stayed behind at the lair, ready to suit up at a moment's notice in case the Arrow was needed. Since Oliver was a likely target of The Cupid, it wasn't like he could just Arrow out and attack him. Back in days when Oliver killed most of his targets and enemies, he could, but now leaving them alive meant a few workarounds every now and then.

"Any sign of him?" Diggle asked in his ear.

Oliver smiled and nodded at one of the QC bored members walking past him. "Not yet."

They weren't expecting Pierce to show his hand any time soon. Part of the plan was Oliver actually allowing himself to be caught. The police would have to catch The Cupid with some evidence or obvious intent surrounding him in order for him to be convicted.

Oliver's eyes scanned the room, cataloguing the faces and people he knew and looking for the man he had talked with at the club, allow extra vigilance incase Pierce decided to don a disguise.

Across the room at the entrance he saw Felicity.

She wore a wine colored dress that reached the floor, with a little peplum skirt around her waist. Her hair was deep parted to the side, a shade of red stain on her lips that matched the color of her dress. Oliver couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She looked like an old hollywood screen goddess.

He hadn't expected to see her. He hadn't seen her since their argument in the lair the night before. But there she was. His feet were already moving toward her before he had worked out what he wanted to say to her.

Felicity caught his eye. The void expression she gave him hurt.

"I thought you'd be in Central City," he said when he reached her.

"Well, you were right," she replied. Oliver was stunned. His face must have given away his surprise. A moment later she was correcting herself. "You were half right...more like a third right. I shouldn't leave in the middle of a mission. So I'm going to see the job through." Oliver nodded. "And then I'm taking some time off." This part he didn't like. "To spend some time in Central City."

"I see," was all he said.

Felicity looked him fully in the eye then. She didn't know what more she was expecting or hoping for, but after a few breaths she realized nothing else was coming. She sighed. "Let's just get through the evening."

With that, she left him, and headed down one of the waiters carrying a tray of champagne.

Oliver heard Diggle clicking his teeth over the comm. "What?"

"Not getting involved," he replied. "But for the record, you're both wrong."

Again, John didn't elaborate and Oliver didn't ask. He didn't want to know the answer. He took up his own glass of champagne and moved through the ballroom, in the opposite direction of Felicity. "Let's just get through the night."

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An hour and one glass of champagne passed and nothing of note had happened. Oliver had been keeping up his CEO front, mingling and making small talk while keeping his eyes open. If he wasn't already aware that Felicity was angry with him, he would have known by the way that she continually let him suffer through conversations with people he'd rather not spend more than ten seconds with let alone ten minutes. Normally at these functions, she would know when to intervene and save him, but now she was giving him a wide berth and letting him navigate the waters on his own.

He'd finally disentangled himself from one of QC's more boring board members and did a visual sweep of the guests. Felicity was nowhere to be seen. Immediately his senses were on alert as he moved through the crowd. His hand went to his ear. "Digg stand by. I don't see Felicity."

He tried to think how long it had been since he'd last spotted her, what possible places she could have been cornered, and which direction Pierce would have taken her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Queen."

Oliver was stopped by a woman; someone he recognized as another assistant that worked at QC. He cursed at the interruption, his brain already coming up with an excuse to bypass whatever she was about to request of him.

"Yes?" he said, as politely as he could managed.

"Um, Ms. Smoak is out on the terrace. She asked me to tell you."

Oliver blinked. It was a ruse. He knew it in an instant. Felicity wouldn't have made a request like that-not with the gossip about them that was already spreading around the offices. But he went along with it. "Thank you," he smiled to the woman and made his way toward the garden terrace on the other side of the ballroom. "Diggle."

"Ready to go," John answered.

Oliver strode down the hallway, each step long and quick, and made his way toward the glass French doors that led out to the terrace. When he reached them, he stopped. There was Felicity. Standing outside. Her back was to him as she strolled around the large fountain that was the centerpiece of the garden. She was perfectly safe.

His head cocked as he realized that Felicity had sent him the message, after all. She had wanted to speak to him in private.

Her arms swung idly at her sides as she made her way around the circular fountain. There was a cherub in the center, frozen in dance around the water swirling up into the air. From where he stood, he could see the ripples of the water, reflecting light on her skin.

"False alarm," he said into the comm. "Stand by."

He reached up into his ear and pulled the tiny comm out, clicking it off. Diggle didn't need to hear whatever talk he and Felicity were about to have. He was willing to bet it wasn't going to be a good one.

With a deep breath, his hand reached toward the door handle, when he felt a stab at his neck.

Oliver turned swiftly to see the dark eyes of Pierce Scarlett aka Pierce Rojas aka The Cupid behind him. The man backed away a few steps holding up his hands. In one was a syringe, now empty of whatever he had just injected into Oliver. Pierce took a step toward him.

"Stop." It was more of a command than a plea.

Oliver tried to move forward, but found it difficult. His feet wanted to move, his hands wanted to wrap around Pierce's throat and squeeze until the man turned the color he seemed to favor so much, but for some reason his body wouldn't follow orders.

"Stay calm, Oliver, the more you fight it the more it will hurt," Pierce slowly lowered his arms. "It's a little compound I had been working on myself. I was attempting to create an alternative to anesthesia when I stumbled upon this. A full dose, and you're unable to move unless you are told."

If Oliver could move, his jaw would be clenching in anger. No, he would be pounding the hell out of Pierce. Or maybe kicking him in the ribs. The possibility of movements flooded his brain. But his muscles were nothing but stone.

Fiery rage flooded his veins him when he saw Pierce glance behind him, out the doors, to where Felicity stood.

"We'll get to your girl in a moment," Pierce said. "Or maybe not your girl. I suppose we'll find out. Follow me Oliver. Remain calm."

Pierce jerked his fingers and Oliver moved forward. He felt like a robot as he was guided down the short set of stairs and out the doors. No one seemed to notice anything amiss as Oliver Queen made his way out of the gala. The one time he was wishing for prying eyes, everyone seemed to have their attention turned inward.

Pierce led him to a small car parked just down the block and instructed him inside. Oliver attempted to fight through whatever compound was preventing him from having control over his body, but the more he tried to fight, the less it seemed to help and the more his muscles burned from the inside out.

"Shall we?" Pierce grinned sliding into the driver's seat and hitting the throttle. Oliver's body jerked forward as they sped down the street.

.

.

.

Felicity strolled around the fountain. There had been a few couples on the terrace when she'd come outside but now she was alone. Whatever bitterness she was holding onto was probably rolling off her in waves, scaring away everyone around her was happy and in love. It probably wasn't a good idea to be alone outside, especially when they were being targeted by a serial killer, but she needed a few minutes. She needed a few minutes away from Oliver and how good he looked in his tuxedo and how it was distracting her from the mission-and how mad at him she was.

The sounds of water trickling down the fountain soothed her and let her refocus her mind. She had to focus on the mission. Then the job would be done and she could go to Central and spend time with Barry-who was sweet and smart and would be the person to help her get over Oliver.

Yes she had been bluffing when she told Oliver than she'd made plans to go to Central City. It was a stupid lie. But throughout the day she thought more and more about the possibility and found herself calling Barry, asking what he would think of her cashing in that raincheck super early and making her way to him.

Of course Barry was excited and welcoming and happy to see her. Felicity would be leaving in the morning to spend the rest of the weekend in Central City.

She'd circled the fountain half a dozen times when she realized that she had lingered long enough. Oliver might be a jerk, but he would probably worry if he realized she was missing from the ballroom. With a resigned sigh she turned to head back inside. A ringing in her purse gave her pause and she took her phone out of her clutch, seeing Diggle's number flash on her screen.

"What's up?" She answered, her stomach sinking when she heard his reply.

"Felicity, I think we have a problem."

.

.

.

Felicity looked up at the building in front of her-a deserted apartment building that had been condemned after the earthquake in the Glades. The windows were cracked and the foundation was crumbling and Felicity was scared that the second she tried to open the door the structure would collapse and swallow her whole.

But the thought of Oliver on the other side-his chest cavity opened and heart literally exposed-pushed her forward. Well, the mental image made her gag slightly, but also made her move her feet.

She was supposed to be scoping the place out, waiting for Diggle, but patience had never been her virtue. If she found them, she could buy Diggle time, and maybe keep Oliver from getting hacked to bits. From the videos she watched, she knew The Cupid liked a story and thankfully, Felicity Smoak liked to talk. This could possibly be one situation where putting her foot in her mouth could buy them enough time to save their lives.

She pulled out her phone and looked at the tracking signal on her the app she had created. It looked like they were in the basement of the house. Felicity picked up the trail of her dress and headed up the front steps, pushing open the door that was already swinging from the hinges.

She moved through the building, attempting to channel inner Bond girl, which was difficult as her heels caused her to stumble over cracks and rubble. How did those women make it look so easy? Kicking ass and taking all while wearing fancy gowns and six inch heels.

The small dot on her phone led her to the basement that look like it used to be used as laundry and storage area. Old bike racks and busted machines and pipes littered the ground. In the middle was a crude set up that resembled a guerilla operating room of sorts. There were two metal tables, a set up of medical tools, even an EKG. In the center, strapped to one of the metal tables, was Oliver.

Felicity ran to him, forgetting to check if The Cupid was around. His upper half was bare, a small tray of instruments next to him. The Cupid had prepped his next victim for surgery. Her hands flew to the foam-padded restraints around his arms, worry clouding her judgement. One arm was free and her eyes flew to his face, realizing that he was awake.

"Oh my god, Oliver," she whispered, her fingers working against the restraints. "Diggle called and I used the tracking device I installed in your phone to find you. I stole your phone a couple months ago and put it there, cause you have the tendency to run off on your own and not tell us and well don't be mad at me now, be mad at me later when we aren't about to be murdered." She stopped, realizing that Oliver was free to get up, but still laying on the table. His eyes were following her movements, but he didn't say a word. Every muscle in his body was still. "Oliver?" Her voice was small, quiet. He still didn't move, but his eyes flashed. They were frantic. Crazy. He was trying to convey some message to her that Felicity wasn't understand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said a voice behind her. "He just can't move or speak." She spun around and came face to face with Pierce Scarlett. Her yelp of surprise was cut off by a hiss of pain. Felicity looked down at her arm and stumbled back. There was a large syringe embedded in her bicep.

She whimpered as she fell backwards and Pierce came forward, lowering her gently to the ground, purring to her and telling her to calm down. "It will be alright, Ms. Smoak. You'll sleep for a few moments, long enough so that I can set you up and we can begin."

.

.

.

She wasn't sure how long she was asleep. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Felicity opened her eyes and looked around, she was now strapped to an table, in similar fashion to Oliver. She thanked the stars when she realized that unlike Oliver, she could still move. Her wrists tugged at the padded restraints, but they were locked tight. Even her ankles were bound.

"Your phone," Pierce was saying to her. He was a standing a few feet away, with his back to her, but he knew she was awake, "with your tracking device app is floating far away from here." He spun and smiled at her, brown eyes gleaming in the low level light. "The benefits of setting up shop near an aquaduct."

"You've made a mistake," Felicity told him, "going after Oliver Queen. You're going to get caught."

"Well, we serial killers all want to be caught eventually, right? At Least, that's what the psychologists say," he stepped toward her table, moving to lift a lever. "I've actually been planning this one for a long time." The lever clicked and Felicity felt her body being swung forward, so that she was laying upright and parallel to the floor. "My partner-who works at Queen Consolidated-mentioned the rumored love affair between CEO and assistant. It's a tale we're all familiar with. Bright, young girl pines away from the powerful man that never seems to notice her. She waits and waits and waits and hopes that one day he will turn his head, look at her through the windows of his office, and see her in a whole new light. She'll cling to this hope, watching him, her heart breaking with every girlfriend that passes through his life, every excuse he makes as to why he doesn't choose her, until one day she wakes up all alone. Years have passed by and what does she have to show for her utter loyalty and devotion? Nothing."

Felicity gulped, his words making her shiver. The story was cliche. The couple he was describing could be anyone. But he hit too close to home.

Pierce moved away from her and over to Oliver. She watched him reached down and lift a similar lever on Oliver's table, pulling it up and dragging it forward.

"I heard a few things, but I really got to watch you both at the club the other night. Imagine my surprise, when I realized I'd gotten it all wrong. It's not the assistant pining after the boss, in fact, it's the other way around."

Felicity's brow furrowed. "What?"

Oliver's table clicked into place and she faced him then. His eyes held an unreadable emotion. It wasn't anger or sadness. It took her a moment to realize it was a combination of the two. It was regret.

"The way he rescued you from that guy at the club, the lingering looks he casts in your direction, the regret that filled his words when he admitted to me-an anonymous club patron-the you were in fact not his girlfriend. You can see it on him now, plain as day."

Felicity turned her gaze in Oliver's direction. Denial was automatic. Of course Pierce had gotten it wrong. They were the cliche. Felicity was the cliche. But one look at Oliver made her stop. All he could do was blink at her and breathe. His chest moved up and down in slow breaths telling her that The Cupid wasn't wrong. He had hit his mark.

"So what now?" she asked.

"Now comes the truth," Pierce said. He approached her, another syringe in his hand, and she flinched. "Before I major in medicine I did very well in chemistry. I created this serum I call Ipsum Verum, the real truth." He pressed the need to the crook of her elbow, letting the clear liquid seep into her vein. "We'll see how you really feel, Ms. Smoak. And then if you're love proves true, you're both free to go."

Felicity felt the serum clawing through her veins and flooding her senses. Everything glowed funny and she felt a lightness in her bones that was pleasant, but also uncomfortable. She panicked, hoping that Pierce wouldn't ask her anything about the vigilante. There were any reasons he would make those connections between her and her night job but if they did Felicity wouldn't be able to hold onto Oliver's secrets.

"When did you first meet your boss, Oliver Queen," Pierce asked, starting simply.

"Last year," Felicity replied. "He came into my office, asking me to fix his laptop."

"And your first impression of him?"

Felicity knew the script. She'd watched the gruesome videos and heard the usual Q and A that came from the Cupid before he cut in to his victims.

"That he was much hotter in person than I'd seen on TV," she cringed inwardly at her own honest reply. "But kind of a jerk."

"And what made you change your mind?"

She gulped, trying to stall her reply and find a work around. "I got to know him better."

If she kept her words slow and deliberate, it was easier to think. To tell the truth without over explaining.

"When did you start sleeping with Oliver?"

"We've never slept together."

"Would you like to?"

She blinked. "Y-yes."

Pierce smiled, looking over at Oliver's steely gaze locked on Felicity. "I imagine the feeling is mutual," he surmised. "Do you have feelings for your boss?"

"Yes," Felicity answered.

"Felicity Smoak, are you in love with your Mr. Queen?"

Felicity listened to the question. Tears filled her eyes. If she ever admitted her true feelings to Oliver, she hadn't wanted it to come out like this. She knew that no matter what she said, Pierce was going to kill them. Sparring people wasn't the point. The truth wasn't the point. He didn't torture through physical pain, he used other means to torture his victims before taking their lives.

This would be the final question, before he started to cut. She had to keep him talking. She had to do the opposite of what he expected, but it was difficult to catch him off guard with her answers when her only option was the truth.

The truth.

Was she in love with Mr. Queen? Her brain reformed the question in her mind and she kept her face straight as she relayed her honest answer.

"No," she answered. "I am not in love with Mr. Queen."

Felicity's stare turned to Oliver again who was a still as a statue. Her eyes trailed down to his hands and she saw the tiniest twitch of a finger, barely noticeable. The serum he had injected Oliver with was wearing off. Felicity just had to keep Pierce talking.

However, she had kept him going just long enough. There was a flash of light and the next thing she knew was the sound of Detective Lance's voice ordering Pierce to stand down. Members of the SCPD flooded into the basement and surrounded Pierce with their guns.

The Cupid was caught.

Their mission was accomplished.

.

.

.

It had taken another half hour for the serum to wear off. Both Oliver and Felicity had been taken to the hospital, given full blood tests for the chemicals in their systems. Oliver decided that out of all the torture he had experienced, being out of control of his own body had possibly been the worst. It ranked right up there with seeing Felicity in danger.

He'd attempted to go check on her, but was delayed by his mother and sister, wanting to make sure he was alright.

The hospital had decided to make him stay overnight for observation, just in case there were any side effects to Pierce's serum, and the Queen ladies finally left him for the night so that he could rest.

It was just past midnight when he made his way to the nurses station to find out where Felicity was staying for the night, assuming that she would be under similar orders. He was thankful that Thea had brought him a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to wear, saving him from having to walk around in a hospital gown.

Oliver made his way over to her room, which was on the other side of the hall. He was surprised to see Diggle leaving.

"I figured that Felicity needed someone in her corner tonight," Diggle said to him. "Since you were probably busy with your mother and sister."

Oliver nodded. He sometimes thought about how Felicity didn't have anyone she was close to in Starling. No family or friends she ever mentioned. For all the talking she did, she never brought up too much about her past or personal life. Just little snippets of facts here and there.

"How is she?"

"Fine," Diggle replied. "Tired from the drugs. They're just observing her over night. Same as you." Oliver nodded again. "Well it's been a long night. I'm out."

"Yeah," Oliver said. "I'll see ya."

Diggle gave him a clap on the shoulder and disappeared around the corner toward the elevator. Oliver lingered a few moments in front of Felicity's door before he entered.

She sat on the bed, her eyes closed, and Oliver thought she was asleep. He saw her glasses sitting on the table next to her bed and realized Diggle must have brought them for her. The makeup she had been wearing that evening had been washed from her face. She was bare now. Natural. Still beautiful as ever. Oliver could never decide which of her looks was his favorite.

Felicity blinked, and opened her eyes, sitting up a bit. "Oliver," she said, her voice thick with exhaustion. "Are you okay?"

He shut the door to her room and stepped forward, stopping when he was right next to her bed.

"I should be asking you that," Oliver replied.

"I'm not the one who got hit with muscle freezing drugs or whatever the hell they were," Felicity said. "I'm hacking into police files as soon as we get home and figuring out what the hell was in those serums he gave both of us. I mean, not home, but like the lair. I need to stop calling it home. It's not home. I mean it's not even comfortable. And it's not like we live there or sleep there."

Oliver chuckled. "It's nice to hear you ramble."

"It's nice to be rambling."

Felicity smiled up at him, Oliver looked down and saw her hand resting on the bed next to her, nails painted rose gold. He wanted to reach out a touch her, offer her comfort and reassure himself at the same time that once again they had made it out of a dire situation alive. But she was out of reach. It had happened faster than he wanted it to, but he'd known it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Should I call Barry and let him know you're okay?"

Felicity shook her head. "I can let him know tomorrow. I'll probably cancel my weekend trip plans and stay home and rest...if my night boss will give me some time off."

"Done," Oliver replied. "I thought you were supposed to leave tonight?"

Felicity looked down at her lap, grapsing her hands nervously. "Yeah I was kind of bluffing before," she said. "I hadn't exactly asked Barry if he wanted me to visit yet."

Oliver gave her an arch look. "Bluffing?"

"I was mad."

"You had every right to be," Oliver admitted.

"No, Oliver, I didn't. I don't have any claim over you. We're friends. And if we're going to be friends I'm going to have to get used to the fact that there will be other women in your life."

Oliver eased himself down on her bed, his muscle aching slightly. "There aren't going to be other women in my life."

"Yes there will," Felicity said. "You say that now, but you never know what could happen with Sara. At least you two have something in common, some sort of understanding. I think it would work out with her a whole lot better with Laurel. Not," she added quickly, "that's it's any of my business or that I disapprove of Laurel. I'm just gonna shut up now."

"Felicity," Oliver started, stopping himself. His eyes went to the ceiling and he laughed at himself for a moment. He had the world's worst timing, always waiting until it was the last minute or too late. "There aren't going to be any other women in my life, because there's only one woman I want in my life, like that." She tilted her blonde head at him, her hair falling to one side. He gave into temptation then, and swept her hair behind her back, his palm falling to rest on her shoulder. "I am-I do-I know you said you don't care about in that way and I thought-"

She shook her head, blinking at him. "Wait, what?"

"You said to Pierce that you weren't in love with me."

"Oliver," she said, a tiny grin on the edge of her lips. "I told him I wasn't in love with Mr. Queen."

Her eye brows lifted, urging him to connect the dots, but he was coming up blank."I don't-"

"Truth serums aren't that difficult to skirt if you can trick your brain to think of things in another way. Pierce asked me if I was in love with Mr. Queen." Oliver still wasn't getting it. Felicity reached up, grasping his hand that was over her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Remember what you told me the first time we met? I called you Mr. Queen and you said 'no, Mr. Queen is my father.'"

She watched him for a few moments as he put the pieces together, the light of understanding finally showing in his blue eyes. He looked down at her and she gave him a teasing look. "I'm definitely not in love with your father."

He laughed, relief and amusement flooding through him. Followed quickly by hope. "Felicity-"

She interrupted, her mouth going a mile a minute. "I just knew I had to keep him talking and do something unexpected to distract him because he thought he knew all the answers. He thought he knew us and I wanted to prove to him that he didn't. Not that there is an us. There is friend us and there is partner us and-" she signed, closing her eyes and gathering her runaway thoughts. "I don't want to be that girl."

"What girl?"

"The waiting girl," she replied, referring to Pierce's earlier description of her. "I was that girl growing up and when I got out of high school I told myself that those days were done. That I was smarter and worth more and-"

She was silenced when Oliver used this stealthy reflexes to slid a hand behind her neck and pull her in for a stolen kiss. His lips pressed against hers and she sat there wide eyed as he kissed her. Felicity recovered from the shock a moment later, sighing and allowing Oliver's tongue to slip past her lips and deepen the kiss. It was passionate and warm and she felt it all the way down to her toes.

It ended a bit too soon and she couldn't help the little moan that escaped from her throat when he pulled away. Oliver brushed a stray hair on her head and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Her heart clenched. "For kissing me?"

He shook his head. "For not doing it sooner."

Oliver leaned in to capture her lips again, but Felicity pressed him back, giving him a serious look. "What changed your mind?"

He took a pause. He knew saying the wrong thing now would do serious damage. This was the moment. Their moment. "Nothing," Oliver replied. "Everything. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know what I can give or what this will be but I know I want you."

"I want you too," Felicity smiled and pulled him in for that second kiss.

This time it was Oliver's turn to feel a little shock. He'd imagined kissing Felicity more than a few times. He kissed a lot of women in his life, but no one like Felicity Smoak. When she pulled back, his breathing was a little ragged and he chuckled at the effect she had on him.

"Guess I'll be cancelling my trip to Central," she said.

"I can give Barry a call myself."

"Don't you dare," she gave him a playful shove. Felicity knew she would have to let Barry down easy and would probably owe him a big apology, given their prior conversations regarding her and Oliver. "I guess I have a free weekend now, since my boss gave me time off."

Oliver's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I could think of a few things to occupy your time."

He leaned over her and pressed her back into the bed, trailing kisses over her jaw and neck. Hospitals weren't that romantic, but Oliver's kisses were good enough to make her feel like they were in a luxurious hotel room, complete with candlelight and excellent wine. Valentine's day wasn't turning out to be that bad after all.

"Cupid's Arrow," she said, interrupting Oliver's kissing.

He paused and looked up at her. "What?"

"I was trying to think of a pun when we first starting looking for The Cupid, cause you're the Arrow now and it's Valentine's Day and I guess we were struck by Cupid's Arrow." Oliver blinked at her and she rolled her eyes at his lack of reaction. "Okay, it's not a perfect pun."

He chuckled and kissed her again. They spent the night together and the nurses were only slightly annoyed at catching their patients in a moderately compromising position during rounds the next morning.

It was true that neither of them knew what the future held. There were more talks to be had about their changing relationship and what it would mean for the team. There were boundaries to set and expectations to allow for. But they ignored all that for the moment and allowed themselves some time to simply enjoy the excitement and fantasy of brand new love.

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**Thanks for reading! Reviews/Comments are loved :)**

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